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miran saure ET GICE.

STEPHEN F. PALMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISGHARGING WATER FROM FLOATING- DRY-BOOKS FOR CANALS.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN F. PALMER, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Dis charging Floating Dry-Docks for Canals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in the several figures of which similar characters of reference denote the same part.

Figure l, is a vertical longitudinal section of dock. Fig. 2, is a cross section of dock and canal on line a e. Fig. 3, is a cross section of dock on line y y.

Thenature of my invention consists in a self acting discharge of the water from a floating dock through an underground trunk by connecting the dock with the trunk by means of a similar trunk with flexible oints so as to move up and down with thev dock, and convey the water therefrom.

As floating docks have already been in general use in places where they were attended with great eXpense and loss of time in discharging the water, I do not offer any improvements on them in their; present locations but as all the different modes of getting' out canal boats for repairs now in use are attended with much labor and loss of time, or inconvenient to work at in consequence of not being raised in a proper position, I will give a descriptionof one for that purpose in order to show the construction and operation.

The dock should be a concave bottom B so as to cause the water to drain off toward the center; the size of the dock must be such as will give room for the work, the depth being about four feet and the sides and ends constructed in a very common way, as there is no pressure of the water except near the bottom for the dock rises as the water goes out. At one end of the dock is the passage way P for the boat to go in and out which must be closed when the water is discharging.

The top T of the dock is made buoyant in such form and of such materials as will prevent the dock from going any deeper, and also cause it to lie steady while the boat is being taken in to its place.

Should the dock require ballast to sink it to its proper place, stone laid in cement will make the bottom tight and more durable; a light shed can also be built over the whole which will help to sink and also keep off rain or sunshine. This dock is then provided with two valves a and b; one a for letting in water to sink it, and the other Z), for letting out water to raise it. Attached to opening covered by this valve l), is a suitable length of trunk D connected by means of a flexible joint E covered with some ilexible material forthe purpose of conveying the water to a permanent or underground trunk C with which it connects in like manner by joint R. This underground trunk can be extended to the most convenient outlet, either outside of the canal or on a lower level, thus causing the water to flow from the dock free from any obstruction. It will be seen from this that very little time or labor is required to raise a boat in this kind of dock. Qpening valve a sinks the dock to the proper bearing, and closing that valve and opening the other brings up the dock. Valve b may remain open to carry off all leakage, &c.

A dock of this kind can be used in any part of a canal, where the water is elevated sufficiently above the natural soil, provided room is left for the regular passing of boats.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The manner of discharging the water from a floating dock by means of the underground trunk in combination with the flexible apparatus, to convey the water from the dock without interfering with its rise and fall, not confining myself to any particular manner provided it produces the same re suit of givingv the water a self-acting discharge substantially as before described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN F. PALMER.

lVitnesses JOHN I-IoLLINGsr-IEAD, JAS. D. CLAY. 

